GOSPEL PRESENTATION -

GOSPEL PRESENTATION -- POSITIVE OR CONFRONTATIONAL?

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June 16, 1997 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Evangelism Explosion (EE) is a method of gospel presentation developed by Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, pastored by the popular television preacher, D. James Kennedy. The program has been implemented in more than 200 countries. This year EE announced that it is changing it approach because of the results of a study it commissioned last year. Results of the study "showed that more than half of those churches not using EE CALLED THE METHOD ‘CONFRONTATIONAL EVANGELISM.’ Many of these pastors cited doubts about EE’s ‘relevancy to meet the needs of today’s people’ and a perception that EE was ‘weak’ relationally" ("Evangelism Explosion Retools Its Approach," Christianity Today, March 3, 1997, p. 58).

Evangelism Explosion said it is designing the program "with new emphasis on friendship."

This is a subtle adaptation to the spirit of our times. Everything has to be positive, even the presentation of the Gospel. The Bible does not begin the Gospel on a positive note, though. The book of Romans contains the most systematic presentation of the Gospel in the Bible, and it begins with God’s justice and holiness and with man’s sin and condemnation. The love of God is not even mentioned until chapter five. The Bible as a whole reveals this same emphasis and approach. The first part of the Bible is the Law, which prepares the way for the Gospel. There is an important reason for this. Until a man understands that he is lost and utterly undone, he will not "flee from the wrath to come" to cleave to Christ. A man must be lost before he can be saved.

Our method of evangelism is not to be obtained from a survey of what people think. God has not only given us the Message, He has given us the method. Obviously there are many different ways of confronting people with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, depending on the person and the circumstance, but the fact remains that "confrontational evangelism" is precisely the method used by the Lord’s Apostles. Paul was very direct and confrontational in his presentation to the Athenians, for example (Acts 17). Men must be confronted with their sinful, lost condition and with God’s command that all men everywhere repent (Acts 17:30). The Lord Jesus Christ was definitely confrontational in His presentation of the Gospel. He began His earthly ministry with the words, "the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). He dealt with the woman at the well plainly about her sin and false religion and presented Himself as the sole Messiah (John 4:5-30). He sent his disciples out with the confrontational proclamation that men must repent (Mark 6:12).

See our article "Unscriptural Presentations of the Gospel"